State Capitols – Austin, Texas - Outside

Texas Capitol in Austin (19 June 2008) 

Constructed: 1882-1888 

Architect: Elijah E. Myers 

State Admitted to Union: December 29,1845 (28th) 

State Population (2010): 25,145,561 (2nd) 

Texas is the second largest state by area and population, after Alaska and California, respectively. On Super Tuesday, March 3, primary elections will occur in 14 states with a total of 1344 delegates at stake. Texas will contribute 228 to that number. The State House Odyssey takes us to the Lone Star State.

I visited Austin on the same 2008 trip that took me to Lyndon Johnson’s grave and the completion of the Dead Presidents Quest. I am pleased to note I have just returned from Texas where I visited College Station and the Texas A & M campus where # 41, George H. W. Bush is buried. The collection is again current.

Texas Capitol, Austin (19 June 2008) 

Of all 50 states, Texas has a history like no other. The territory was originally claimed and explored by Spain in 1519, a century before the Pilgrims landed on the northeast coast. The territory was briefly ceded to France, then became part of the Republic of Mexico before the American settlers, led by Sam Houston, gained independence in 1836. It was the independent Republic of Texas before becoming the 28th state in 1845. Apart from its secession with the Confederacy (not counting former Governor Rick Perry’s threat to secede again in 2009), the state has been one of the United States ever since.

Old Texas Capitol 

The first capitol on the site was built in 1853 and it burned down in 1881. Plans were already under way for the current, larger structure at the time.

The capitol architect, Elijah Myers, was the master designer of government buildings at that time. He is the only architect with three state capitols to his credit, the others being the impressive state houses in Colorado and Michigan.

Texas Capitol, Austin (19 June 2008)

Here are more facts to support the unique Texas history. Since the state was land rich but otherwise poor after the Civil War, the capitol contractors were paid with three million acres of public land in the western panhandle. The land along the New Mexico border was about the size of Connecticut and became the XIT Ranch. By 1915, the failing ranch was parceled and sold off.

Texas Sunset Red granite was selected for the exterior after they realized the iron content in the local limestone would stain over time. The construction labor was largely convict and migrant workers, which saved the builders some money. I suspect we might find a surprising number of state houses that were built by either slaves or prisoners. In those years before labor and safety regulations, we could build things cheap. Plus, it gave the incarcerated an opportunity to get out of their cells for a while. Learn a trade. Get some fresh air.

Texas Pioneer Woman Monument [1998], 

Texas Capitol, Austin (19 June 2008) 

As recently noted with the Iowa capitol, western states do revere their pioneer heritage. Unlike the Iowa version, this one refrains from including a man as well as any Native American guide (the policy of the original Texas nation was to rid the country of its native population). Just a proud, upright white woman with a baby. You go, Girl.

Confederate Soldiers Monument [1903], 

Texas Capitol, Austin (19 June 2008) 

It’s fascinating to note when Confederate memorials were erected on capital grounds all across the country…not just the South. Their renaissance was decades after the end of the conflict. The turn of the 20th century was the time the South reasserted white supremacy with Jim Crow laws and monuments intended to intimidate minorities and anyone else who believed in equality.

The Dove of Peace, Terry’s Texas Rangers Monument [1907]

Texas Capitol, Austin (19 June 2008) 

Among the monuments on the capitol grounds is another dedicated to heroes of the Lost Cause. Benjamin Franklin Terry, a wealthy sugar planter, recruited a calvary regiment that fought for the Confederacy until the end of the war. In design, the statue is a typical, equestrian pose with a handsome rider atop his powerful steed…nostrils flaring with the intensity of the moment. I felt it appropriate that the picture was taken while a dove perched on the end of his rifle.

Austin is a fine capital city. Been there a couple of times and would like to return. It has a vibrant arts and music scene and an enormous state university with its learned and learning populations that together moderate the political energies of the city. Plus, you must not miss the huge bat colony that lives under the Congress Street Bridge and emerges at the appointed hour to consume tons of area mosquitoes. It’s an impressive dusk activity.

The next post will take us inside the capitol.

Shot of the Day - # 37 - Iowa First Ladies Dolls

Billie Ray’s Legacy, Iowa Capitol, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

Can’t leave Iowa just yet. The magnificent capitol had so many interesting and photogenic elements for this visitor.

There are other state houses that include a collection of dolls that model miniature versions of the gowns the First Ladies wore at their inaugural balls. This one is unique in that all the doll faces are modeled after the wife of Robert Ray, Iowa’s 38th Governor when the project was initiated in the 1970’s. I suppose a certain uniformity and sameness works when one presents fine miniature versions of fashion and hair styles from the past. You’re not supposed to let the blank, stark, ‘Stepford Wives’ faces creep you out…until they do.

Under the heading of “What Ever Will We Do?!?,” the keepers of this quaint display had to wrestle with how to continue the tradition now that the Governor is a woman. Should we slap a tux on one of our spare Billie Ray models with her narrow waist, tiny hands and Billie Ray face? The artist who created the original dolls and no longer works in porcelain suggested they run down to Walmart and buy a Ken doll.

I’m sure they figured it out.

State Capitols – Des Moines, Iowa - Inside

Since we arrived in Des Moines on a Sunday afternoon, we had to stay overnight in order to get inside. As luck would have it, Sunday was a bright, clear day…ideal for wandering the grounds and discovering views of the state house. Monday morning was rainy…perfect for the indoors part of the visit.

Model of the Battleship U.S.S. Iowa, Iowa Capitol, 

Des Moines (26 June 2017)

Dominating the hallway on the first floor is a scale model of the battleship Iowa. Over 18 feet long and weighing 1350 pounds, the model is on loan from the U.S. Navy and is a perfect quarter-inch = one-foot scale reproduction. The warship has been decommissioned and is currently a museum attraction in Los Angeles.

Rotunda, Iowa Capitol, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

This exquisite rotunda is elaborate and colorful. I imagine the War of the Rebellion was the most cataclysmic event in the short lifetime of the new state. Construction of the capitol began just six years after the war ended. Some design features preserve the memory of the conflict. At the center of the rotunda, in front of a blue sky and clouds, is a 13-star American flag flanked by the State Seal and the years 1861 and 1865. Never forget.

Iowa State Law Library, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

The capitol contains one of the largest law libraries in the country and one of the most beautiful. The five levels hold over 105,000 documents. From the tiled floor to the stained-glass ceiling, the features date to the 1880’s. The chandeliers and other light fixtures were originally gaslights.

Iowa State Law Library, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

At each end of the magnificent Law Library are spiral stairs that connect to four additional floors of material. While the tungsten lighting cast a warm glow on the original picture, I removed the color to further emphasize the lines and shapes of the composition.

Grand Staircase, Iowa Capitol, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

Many capitols have a Grand Staircase, a wide boulevard that not only gets you to the next floor, but directs your attention to some heroic artwork along the way. True to its pioneer spirit, the 14-by-40-foot mural shows a handsome white family purposefully treading across the prairie. They are guided by floating female spirits representing Civilization and Enlightenment.

Grand Staircase, Iowa Capitol, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

In 2013, we presented the interior of the Springfield, Illinois capitol…another Midwest gem that had been cleaned up shortly before my visit. Both projects were designed by the same architect, Alfred Piquenard. It is said that the scantily-clad statues he created for the bottom of the Springfield staircase were too risqué for the sensitive Illinois leadership. When the Iowa governor inspected the Springfield project, he returned with these fine additions for his own Grand Staircase.

Old Supreme Court Chamber, Iowa Capitol, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

Until a new Judicial Branch Building was completed in 2003, the State Supreme Court met in this chamber in the capitol. The fine space now serves as a committee meeting room for the House of Representatives.

Iowa Senate, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

The Senate has fifty members that serve four-year terms. The chamber has changed little since it was dedicated in 1884. The desks are original. The light fixtures and chandeliers are also converted original gaslights.

Iowa House of Representatives, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

Unlike the Senate chamber, the House has had many of its features replaced after the 1904 fire. One hundred representatives are elected to two-year terms. Legislative sessions begin in January and end less than four months later. Mid-year is a good time for state house visits because the sausage-making is done and the chambers are clean, quiet and empty. I believe that makes for a better documentation of the space.

As capitols go, I thought this one was stunning. Kudos to the Good People of Iowa for preserving the outstanding features of this masterpiece…and condolences for the awful management of your Caucus. May we please find a more diverse state and a better way to start our presidential campaign season. For the sake of our republic. Please.

State Capitols – Des Moines, Iowa - Outside

Iowa Capitol in Des Moines (25 June 2017)

Constructed: 1871-1886

Architect: Alfred H. Piquenard

State Admitted to Union: December 28, 1846 (29th)

State Population (2019): 3,155,070 (31st)

Remember my State House Odyssey? That photo quest was introduced in 2011 and re-introduced in 2015 after a two-year absence of capitol posts. I got a few more up after that but other topics seemed to take over and 2017-19 added only three more to the posted fold. To date, fifteen state house stories have been told. I’ve visited 48 so there are many left to present. Since we have been hearing about the Iowa Caucuses for over a year now, let’s go there next.

We’re in the primary season of an important presidential election year (Aren’t they all?) and maybe I can post a few more stories about our beautiful state capitol buildings as their elections approach. The first-in-the-nation vote will happen in Iowa on February 3, 2020 after which we can move on to more important elections. No offense to the fine citizens of the Hawkeye State, but entirely too much attention is spent on your overwhelmingly white, rural part of the nation…and it’s only gotten worse since candidates and the media have decided to focus on the next general election so soon after the last one. But, as with everything else in our great land, it’s about the money and every four years, cash just rains down on Iowa. The biggest industry after corn is hosting political campaigns. But I digress.

Originally part of French Louisiana, the territory was acquired in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and became a state in 1846. Given its remoteness in the early days, Iowa was part of the Michigan, then Wisconsin territories and spun off when the more settled areas became states. Once the Iowa Territory was officially open for settlement in 1833, things became more, dare I say, settled. As with many states, its name is derived from the original inhabitant Ioway tribe. To show their gratitude, the setters removed the Native Americans to reservations in other territories in 1837.

In Case Des Moines Attacks, Iowa Capitol (25 June 2017)

As perfect a location as any state house, the capitol sits on a gentle hill overlooking downtown Des Moines. One of many remembrances of the Civil War on the grounds, this 22,000-pound, 13-inch mortar was cast in 1861, used in a number of notable engagements and donated to Iowa by an act of Congress in 1895. Sadly, I also have a picture taken from the front end that shows it has become a convenient trash receptacle.

Iowa Capitol, Des Moines (25 June 2017)

Unfortunately, the visit coincided with some significant repair work.

Another addition to my growing collection of 

‘Landmarks Under Scaffolding’

The territorial capital was in Burlington on the Mississippi River. In the first ten years of statehood, the capitol moved west to Iowa City, but still in the eastern part of the state. The old stone capitol still stands and is now the centerpiece of the University of Iowa campus. Ultimately, the desire for a centrally-located capital prompted the selection of Des Moines. The state’s largest city has been the seat of government since 1857.

Completed in 1886, the current capital building is the second state house on this site and is the only state capitol with five domes. The current structure was built to house the two legislative chambers, the state supreme court and the offices of the governor and other state executive officers. Not all the materials and furnishings are original since a fire in 1904 heavily damaged much of the building.

Iowa Soldiers and Sailors Monument,

Iowa Capitol Grounds, Des Moines (25 June 2017)

What they call “The Old Brick Capitol” was the first state house on the property. It was saved but burned down in 1892. The Iowa Soldiers and Sailors Monument was erected in its place. Completed in 1897, the 135-foot tall Civil War commemorative is as impressive as any version found in the former Confederacy.

Of all the states on both sides of the war, it was Iowa that contributed the greatest percentage of its population to the fight. What I like about this monument is the no-nonsense inscription. There is less of that flowery verbiage to valor, chivalry and manhood than we find on the monuments in the South. The conflict from 1861 to 1865 is forthrightly called ‘The War of the Rebellion.’

Pioneer Statue, Iowa Capitol, Des Moines (25 June 2017)

So many capitol grounds in the west have tributes to the stalwart settlers who braved the elements and the hostiles to fulfill our Manifest Destiny. The official guidance for this project in 1890 called for the work to depict “…a father and son guided by a friendly Indian in search of a home.” Aside from the ironically-misplaced modifier, I think the Noble Savage would appear better standing and striking a guiding pose rather than looking like he’s been knocked on his ass. But that’s me.

Monument to William Boyd Allison,

Iowa Capitol Grounds, Des Moines (26 June 2017)

The Iowa Capitol Grounds is awash in memorials, commemoratives and remembrances. Monuments to every war, many service organizations, events and individuals are spread over the 10-acre property. The heroic monument above is dedicated to a six-term U.S. Senator who was a major force in Republican politics at the turn of the 20th century.

We went to Minnesota for my nephew’s wedding and stayed a few extra days to make a short run due south to Des Moines and Lincoln, Nebraska to the west. There are certainly more dramatic areas of the country to drive through, but the midwestern plains (on the right day) can make for a most pleasant road trip.

From ‘Pearls Before Swine’ by Steven Pastis